1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a host terminal and an image forming apparatus that stores a print log therein, and more particularly to an abnormality-handling operation performed when an abnormality occurs.
2. Description of the Related Art
A recent image forming apparatus connected to a network is often shared by many host terminal apparatuses (e.g., personal computers) connected to the network. A server connected to the network manages the communication of signals between the image forming apparatus and many host terminal apparatuses. Such a network management system can be used as a billing system that bills the respective host terminal apparatuses according to the amount of usage of the image forming apparatus.
Such a billing system is commonly configured such that the image forming apparatus produces a print log for print jobs that are received from the host terminal apparatuses and processes the print log as print log information, and that the server compiles and manages the thus produced print log. The image forming apparatus produces a print log, and then stores the print log into a non-volatile memory such as an HDD or a flash memory provided therein or into a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. Every time the image forming apparatus receives a request to obtain a request-to-obtain-print-log, the print log is read from the non-volatile memory, and is transferred to the server. The server compiles the received print log for each host terminal apparatus, and stores it as the print log information into a predetermined memory. Billing is then performed for each host terminal apparatus based on the print log information.
If an abnormality occurs in the server for some reason, the image forming apparatus may become unable to read the print log from the non-volatile memory. If it will take a long time before the abnormality is solved, the amount of print logs in the non-volatile memory of the image forming apparatus increases. When the total amount of data of print logs to be stored exceeds the capacity of the non-volatile memory, the printing should be stopped, in which case the oldest or latest print log has to be discarded. Thus, when the printing is resumed, it is difficult to know the current status of printing.